By: Whitney Houser
Country music has always belonged to artists who can make a listener believe the story. Trends come and go, production styles change, and new stars emerge every season, but authenticity remains the currency that matters most. For Richard Lynch and Gary Pratt, long-running careers have been built not on chasing the moment, but on creating music rooted in experience, conviction, and a genuine connection with their audiences.
The two MTS Records artists approach country from different directions, yet their careers share a common thread: both are veteran performers who continue finding new reasons to make music.
Ohio-based Richard Lynch has spent more than three decades carrying the banner for traditional country music. His sound owes a clear debt to the era of Merle Haggard, George Strait, Waylon Jennings, and Alan Jackson, but Lynch has never treated tradition as nostalgia. For him, country music is simply an extension of the life he lives.
Based in Waynesville, Ohio, Lynch operates Keepin’ It Country Farm with his wife, Donna, while maintaining an active recording and performing career. His work has earned radio success, industry recognition, and a devoted following drawn to songs about faith, family, rural life, patriotism, and everyday people.
His commitment extends beyond music. Lynch is also closely associated with the Love Tattoo Foundation, an organization supporting veterans and veterans programs. That sense of faith, service, and family has repeatedly found its way into his recordings.
Few releases have reflected those values more powerfully than his latest single, “Wait For Me.”
Released July 24, 2026, through Fence Row/MTS Records, the song was written by Lynch and John Lee. It tells the story of a son making the emotional journey to his mother’s bedside for one final goodbye. The song became even more poignant when Lynch’s own mother passed away around the time of its release.
Rather than leaning into sentimentality, “Wait For Me” finds its emotional power in small memories: the hands of a mother who wiped away tears, repaired clothes, offered comfort, and helped shape a family. Lynch delivers the song with the restraint of someone who understands that the story itself is powerful enough.
If Lynch represents country music’s deeply rooted traditional side, Gary Pratt demonstrates how a veteran artist can keep growing while embracing a brighter contemporary energy.
Raised in the small coal-mining community of Slickville, Pennsylvania, Pratt has spent years developing a reputation as an energetic performer, songwriter, and recording artist. His career has brought awards, nominations, and chart success, including international iTunes achievements and recognition from organizations including the International Singer-Songwriters Association and Independent Music Network.
Pratt has also shared stages with established country names including Dwight Yoakam, Pam Tillis, Lorrie Morgan, Ronnie Milsap and Crystal Gayle.
His 2021 album, Something Worth Remembering, marked an important chapter. Dedicated to Pratt’s late brother, the project blended his own compositions with songs written by respected Nashville writers. Its title track was penned by Tony Arata, best known for writing Garth Brooks’ “The Dance.”
Pratt has continued expanding that foundation in 2026.
Earlier this year, he released the high-energy “Buzzin’,” written by Jon Pardi, Bart Butler, and Kenneth Johnson. But his most recent release has introduced another important dimension to his career.
“4th of July,” featuring Kate Szallar, arrived July 3, 2026, through MTS Records. Produced by Adam Ernst, who also performed the instrumentation, the song uses Fourth of July fireworks as a playful metaphor for romantic chemistry.
Instead of setting the story at a summer celebration, “4th of July” begins on an ordinary February night. The fireworks are entirely between two people.
Szallar’s presence is significant beyond the recording. She has become Pratt’s regular stage and musical partner, with the pair performing as Pratt & Szallar. Their shows incorporate original material alongside country favorites, ballads, Christian songs, and familiar classics, while expanded band configurations allow them to move comfortably into larger venues and events.
That partnership is expected to remain central to Pratt’s next chapter. His official biography confirms that he has been working on new material with Nashville producer Adam Ernst, with additional releases involving both Pratt and Szallar planned as their musical collaboration continues.
For Lynch, the road ahead remains tied to the same principles that have defined his career: traditional country songwriting, faith, live performance, and songs drawn from real life. “Wait For Me” has become another significant entry in a catalog that increasingly functions as a musical autobiography.
Richard Lynch and Gary Pratt are reminders that longevity in country music comes from more than surviving changing tastes.
It comes from knowing who you are.
Lynch continues protecting the traditions that made country music matter to generations of listeners. Pratt continues building outward, pairing his roots with new collaborators, songs, and opportunities.
Different journeys, different sounds, but both men are still moving forward.
And neither sounds remotely finished.
